Bozeman Urban Parks and Forestry Board Meeting and Ethics Training - January 22, 2026
Bozeman Urban Parks and Forestry Board Meeting and Ethics Training
The Urban Parks and Forestry Board convened on January 22, 2026, for a meeting that included board member introductions, approval of meeting minutes, and an annual ethics training session. The training focused on the city's code of ethical conduct, using hypothetical scenarios to discuss conflicts of interest, disclosure, and proper use of public office. No public comments were received, and no binding decisions were made beyond routine approvals.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The board approved the minutes from the December 18, 2025 meeting by a roll call vote. Motion by Terry Lumsden, second by Steve Lowry. All present members voted yes: Terry Lumsden, Steve Lowry, Sally Schrank, Joe Cartwright, Paige Lasowski (with spelling clarification), and Matthew Courton. Members who were absent were allowed to abstain; the minutes were approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public comments were offered, either in person or online.
Discussion Items
- Board Introductions: Each board member and staff introduced themselves, sharing their background, connection to Bozeman, and perspective on parks and urban forestry. Members highlighted experience in health care, real estate development, accounting, conservation, outdoor industry, and community engagement. Mayor Joy Morrison and Commissioner Alison Sweeney also introduced themselves and thanked outgoing and incoming members.
- Ethics Training: Led by staff member Jess (covering for the usual liaison), the board reviewed ethics policies and discussed five scenarios involving potential conflicts of interest, private gain, improper communication, nepotism, and fair decision-making. Key points included:
- A board member with a restaurant benefitting from a hotel project must disclose the indirect financial interest and recuse themselves.
- A board member cannot speak on behalf of the board unless authorized by a vote; individuals must clarify they are speaking as private citizens.
- A board chair who owns a hotel cannot use agenda-setting power to suppress a competitor's proposal; such applications must be considered by the board.
- A board member using their professional expertise to impose unstated criteria on projects is acting improperly; decisions must be based on codified requirements.
- A board member whose relative works for a contractor must disclose the relationship at the meeting and abstain from voting. The discussion emphasized that the city code requires annual ethics training and that board members should err on the side of full disclosure and seek guidance from staff or the city attorney when in doubt.
Key Outcomes
- Approval of Minutes: The December 18, 2025 minutes were approved unanimously.
- Completion of Annual Ethics Training: All board members participated in the required ethics training, which addressed conflict of interest, disclosure, impartiality, and public perception. No formal action was taken; the training was informational.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you everybody for joining us. Before we start the meeting, I'd like to remind folks of a couple of things to make it easier for you to follow along and make public comment. You can watch us in real time in several different ways. Attend in person in the city commission room. Stream us live on your computer by going to the meetings video page at Bozeman.net and clicking the live view event link. You can watch the meeting on Cable TV channel 190. You can also join us via video conference. You'll find the link to join us by clicking on the calendar event for the meeting on the Bozeman's main webpage to find and find City Commission agenda or the Urban Parks and Forestry Board agenda. And then click the link to register and follow the prompts. Lastly, you can call in to listen. You'll find the phone number for the video conference and access code on the agenda for the Urban Parks and Forestry Board. Please note this is for listening only, and you will be unable to give verbal public comment using this method for participating. If you are joining us through the video conference and are having connectivity issues, try exiting out of the meeting and coming back in. If you continue to have issues, please remember you can also listen via the phone information streaming live on the website or on cable. Please remember to go back in and lower your hand when you have finished making your comment. Any public comment received by noon on the day of the meeting will have been distributed and read by that board. Okay. So um the first item on the agenda is board introductions. But basically, it is um as we introduce ourselves, if you could please share a little bit about yourself, your background, and um identify any specific segment of the community you feel most connected to or responsible for representing in these discussions. Hi everyone, my name is Terry Lumsden. Um I grew up in the mountains of Idaho, Central Idaho in Southwest Montana. Go Dylan Beers. Yay. Um I am a grizzly as well. Um I've called Northwest Bozeman my home for the last decade. Um and my career has been rooted in the business side of health care. Um I did take about a five-year sabbatical and recently re-entered the field. Um so between my work, my husband's role as a clinician at Bozeman Health, my daughter who is a senior at Gallatin High. Um, I stay pretty plugged into the local health care business and school systems. I'm also the incoming president for Bozeman Sunrise Rotary Club, where I have benefit, benefited from being just part of a diverse group of people that I consider friends. When I'm not working, you'll find me outside with my family and my Springer Spaniels because I am a daughter of a four stranger. So that's going to come full circuit circle here. But it's the natural world that brings people here to live and work. So I call it the mountain tax. I gladly pay my mountain tax to live here, buy all the equipment to go play. So yeah, a fun tidbit. Two young Canadian men told me girls could not snowboard. I promptly proved them wrong, and umfficially I was the first um snowboard instructor in the state of Montana. I was not certified, so technically somebody in Big Sky beat me out. Thank you. Joe, I'll call on you next. Okay. Good evening. My name is Joe Cartwright. I have lived in Bozeman for about 25 or 26 years. I live in town on South Side Park. I have three girls. Two of them live here with grandchildren, and one lives in Salt Lake. My background is real estate development, and I've owned a variety of properties here in town. But the reason that I'm here is I spend since I live on the park.
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